Spike in COVID-19 cases deals another blow to entertainment sector

As the COVID-19 surge deepens, a leading spokesman for the entertainment industry has complained that there seems to be no relief in sight.

With most producers and entertainers having not worked for the year there was high hope that health authorities would have been able to bring infection rates under control, thereby opening up the possibility of events being held.

But the expected rebound has not materialized and according to the president of the Entertainment Association of Barbados, Rudy Maloney, most industry figures have given up hope of hosting events in 2021 and are already looking forward to 2022.

Speaking to Barbados TODAY, Maloney said the Delta variant outbreak had now erased any slight possibility there was of promoters being allowed to host events in the coming months.

He said prior to the outbreak they were hopeful events would have been given the green light coming on to the end of the year.

But Maloney acknowledged that was now very doubtful due to the significant spike in COVID-19 cases coupled with unfortunate deaths within the past week.

“It is a wait-and-see situation because [of] the curfew, the numbers, there are so many things that affect not having entertainment. The numbers seem to be rising so it is becoming more and more difficult every day. We don’t see a silver lining in the near future. We were hoping that coming on in November, December that maybe things would have been better but we definitely can’t see that happening,” Maloney told Barbados TODAY during a telephone interview.

“So it’s most likely going to be 2022 and it looks as though the vaccine is going to be key.”

But Maloney said people in the industry had not lost all hope.

He said he still believed Government could look at the possibility of incentivizing vaccinated people, such as allowing them to attend events along with the enforcement of other protocols.

“When we meet and talk [with Government] we still plan to raise the point that there should be incentives for fully vaccinated persons. We are not telling people they have to go and get vaccinated but we think there should be some incentives, so a man who is fully vaccinated should have the freedom to go to an event with other people who are vaccinated,” Maloney said.

He said it had been an especially trying time for entertainers and business owners, some of whom had been without work for over a year.

Maloney said it was heartbreaking to see some of his colleagues had been forced to close their businesses as a result of the pandemic.

“It has been really tough on us. I know a lot of people in the industry who are struggling, people who have sold their equipment. Some of the entertainers are going overseas hoping to get work and others are booked already. Same thing with some of the event producers, some of them are taking up with other people overseas hoping to do couple events,” Maloney said. (randybennett@barbadostoday.bb)